Just in time for the release of the Tom Cruise movie, The Mummy, 17 of the real variety were found in an ancient burial site near the Nile Valley.
A year ago, students using radar discovered the burial grounds, located 26 feet under the central Egyptian village of Tuna al-Gabal, 135 south of Cairo. The area is known to be a large necropolis where several mummified remains and ancient tombs had previously been found, as reported by The Associated Press.
Most of the mummies were well preserved, hinting that they may have been dignitaries, such as officials and priests, from Egypt’s Greco-Roman period, which dates back to 332 B.C.
The expedition was led by Salah Al-Kholi, an Egyptology professor at Cairo University. Al-Kholi said there may be as many as 32 mummies, including some of women, children and infants, in the chamber.
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters that he hopes they will find more.
“2017 has been a historic year for archaeological discoveries,” he said. “It’s as if it’s a message from our ancestors who are lending us a hand to help bring tourists back.”
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